Quakers are united by concerns for truth, peace, equality, justice and simplicity. They look for that of God in everyone.

Tuesday, 30 December 2014

City of Sanctuary - the Birmingham Declaration

One of the central concerns of Quakers is to look for that of God in everyone. This is, I think, at the heart of some of our testimonies, including those for peace and equality. Quakers naturally differ in their understanding of God but they recognize that there is something they might term "the divine" or "the inner light" in all human beings. This doesn't mean that all human beings act well, since obviously they don't, but that there is something in human beings that we can, at the very least, try to nurture and address.

It is not surprising that Quakers have, for a long time, been concerned to help asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. Quakerism has its roots in Christianity, a religion which has numerous stories of refugees and migration (as do very many religions). The flight of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus is a well-known example. Similarly the disciples of Jesus became migrants. Quakers are now praised for the assistance they gave to refugees in the 1930s but this was not always a popular course of action.

Current hatred and fear of migrants is disturbing. I don't think the majority of the population feel hate and fear towards the individuals they encounter but it's easy to fear the unknown - and the media frequently treat vulnerable migrants as a mass who lack individual human characteristics.

The City of Sanctuary movement calls for hospitality towards asylum seekers, refugees and migrants. Recently it has asked groups to put their names to the "Birmingham Declaration." Beeston Quakers are very happy to sign this Declaration. The text can be found below. If you are a member of a group which would like to sign this declaration, it's easy to do so using this link.

City of Sanctuary - Birmingham Declaration

Britain has a long tradition of offering
protection to those fleeing persecution, many of whom have gone on to
make a considerable contribution to our society. It also has a
reputation for fairness and justice that is the envy of many other
nations.

We believe that the great majority of British people are sympathetic towards those who come here seeking help and protection.

We have come together in Birmingham on 15th
November 2014 in recognition that the position of refugees and migrants
is aggravated in Europe and in Britain in an unprecedented way. We can
no longer just watch in silence as millions flee Syria only to be
warehoused in refugee camps and thousands drown in desperate attempts to
reach the Western world across the sea. This is a matter of life and
death.We commit ourselves to work together to ensure that our great country
continues to be a safe place for those fleeing persecution and a
welcoming place for all people who come here to study, work or join
family and who will work alongside us to build a just and fair society.We commit ourselves today to a core set of principles and asks that will
strengthen our collective efforts to protect the rights of strangers
amongst us. Through these commitments we seek accountability and
justice. We are asking our Parliament and our Government to take
necessary steps to deliver that change.These commitments tackle the causes and consequences of the very
vulnerable position refugees and migrants find themselves in. They are
within the scope of the international protection framework that Britain
has been signatory to for decades.Recognising that we all have a role to play, we are asking our Government to do all they can to ensure that:1. All asylum seekers, refugees and migrants should be treated with dignity and respect.We ask that the debate on immigration is conducted with care for the
dignity of people who are vulnerable, who do not have a voice in the
public domain and who have to suffer the consequences of inaccurate and
inflammatory language. We appeal to all politicians and to the media to
conduct the pre-election debate responsibly, sticking to the facts and
bearing these principles in mind.

2. A fair and effective process to decide whether people need protection should be in place.We ask for a high standard of decision making on refugee protection
cases. After years of very public failure, we demand a system that is
fair and efficient and ensures protection for those who need it. People
should have access to good quality legal advice and representation
during the process, publicly funded when they are unable to pay. Not
everyone is entitled to refugee status in Britain, but they are entitled
to a fair process to determine if they are in need of protection.

3. No one should be locked up indefinitely.We seek an end to the indefinite detention of asylum seekers and
migrants. No one should be deprived of their liberty with no judicial
oversight. Indefinite detention is unacceptable, costly and ineffective.
We ask for a reasonable time limit to be introduced and other
safeguards put in place to ensure the lawfulness and fairness within the
system.

4. No one should be left sick or destitute in our society.It cannot be right that people are left destitute in modern Britain,
banned from working but denied support. Until they are granted
protection and can work, asylum seekers should receive sufficient
support to meet their essential living needs while in the UK. We are
asking that those whose cases have taken more than six months to
resolve, or who have been refused but are unable to return home, should
receive permission to work. All of them should be allowed free access to
NHS services

5. We should welcome the stranger and help them to integrate.People should integrate, and we should help them to do so. We are asking
for support for asylum seekers to be welcomed and befriended on
arrival. To help them integrate and participate in the local community
they should be able to learn English, with free tuition provided where
needed.

We make a commitment to take action on these
principles and asks together and translate them into collaborative
actions in our organisations and communities locally and nationally in
the run up to the next general elections and beyond.

We commit ourselves to work strategically
together. We will come back next year to check our progress against
these principles and asks and make plans for what needs to be done in
the future, together. Below are the first of what we believe will be
hundreds of organisations signing this declaration.